My Third Strong(wo)man Competition Recap

Oh…this contest. This was my worst performance of any contest that I’ve competed in thus far (here is how I did at my first and second contest). There are lots of reasons for that, mostly that I had zero level of confidence going in despite the fact that most events were well within my range of capability. WHY I wasn’t confident? I’m not entirely sure. Regardless, it doesn’t feel great to work really hard and have it not come together when it’s supposed to. So, let’s start from the beginning.

On Friday, I drove a few hours to the competition venue to weigh in and mess around with the implements before heading to dinner and then driving to my in-laws to get some sleep. I woke up early, ate a little food, drank some Pedialyte, picked up my training partner/teammate from her hotel, and headed over to the gym. We warmed up, stretched, met some of the other gals, and went over rules. I was a little nervous but truthfully, I just didn’t feel confident AT ALL. The entire day, I felt really “off” and never really got over that. (I was however, VERY excited for my teammate who took 4th in her first competition)

[Photo courtesy of NOVA Strength and Conditioning]

Event 1 – Pressing Medley (105# log, 115# axle, 50# one arm DB press, 115# barbell, 75 second time cap): This was horrible. Just really awful. While all of the weights were near or above my max, I’m usually able to perform well under pressure but instead, I couldn’t get ANYTHING. Not one damn thing. I was super pissed off after this event and just did my best to shake it off and move on.

[Photos courtesy of NOVA Strength and Conditioning]

Event 2 - Car/Tire Deadlift (I think this was about 500#?, max reps in 60 seconds): I liked this event – I feel like I could have done better but my shoes kept slipping backwards on the wooden platform, I kept moving my feet, and after I stopped a few times, it was hard to get my rhythm back. I think I got 6 or 7 reps and probably could have gotten at least 10-12, if not more.

[not yesterday! Photo by Josh Winn]

Event 3 - Yoke Walk (330# for 60 feet, repick, 60 feet, time cap 60 seconds): I did fine on this event and anticipated I would since I’m decent at yoke walks. The yoke was REALLY tall and wobbly which slowed me down a bit but overall, I did okay. I wasn’t particularly fast but it was decent.

Event 4 - Farmers/Tire Medley (130# farmers for 40 feet, 300# tire flip for 40 feet, 75 second time cap): I didn’t do great at this event. I’m not a great tire flipper so I knew that would be a struggle. The farmers were fine but the tire was pretty rough – it was really tall and I wasted a good chunk of time at one point because the area I was gripping had no tread so I had to try and dig my fingers under the tire to get it up (and subsequently smash my fingers a bit). I ran out of time with 1 flip left (about 4 feet) to cross the line.

Event 5 – Stone over bar (130# stone over 48inch bar, max reps in 60 seconds): I was looking forward to this and this was my best event. This went well but not as well as I think it could have gone – the stone was brand new and REALLY dusty (I was also the first or second to go so again, the dust was intense) so I lost all of my tacky fairly quickly. I got 5 reps which was nowhere near a PR for me but okay considering I was pretty tired.

I really enjoyed hanging out with a bunch of really awesome ladies and watching everyone compete. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pissed/disappointed/whatever about my performance because I am, but at this point, there is no point in worrying about it. It’s done, I learned a lot, and I know what to do differently for next time. I’ve got other competitions coming up (once I actually decide which ones to do) so it was back to the grind with some axle deadlifts, back squats, push pressing, and sled dragging this morning. Thank you to everyone for their words of encouragement and well wishes – so so awesome!

Comments: 8

Sorry it didn’t go as well as you would have liked! Boy oh boy, do I know that feeling (with races at least). We all have on days and off days, and it sounds like you might have just had an off day. Thanks for the honest share, and looking forward to your future competitions!

You are still awesome, and it’s all a great learning experience. At my first comp, I couldn’t press one of the objects in the medley and it made me so angry. But I learnt SO much about controlling my emotions and I know exactly what to do if I’m ever in that situation again.